The Unlikely Celebrity: The Say Hey Kid in Song and on Screen

This is the musical score to one of the songs devoted to Mays in 1954, written by Willard Robinson and performed by Johnny Long and His Orchestra. (Courtesy of KeyMan Collectibles)

 

James S. Hirsch, a biographer of Willie Mays, wrote that even before his Rookie of the Year Award, his MVPs, batting title, numerous Gold Glove Awards, All-Star Game appearances, his 660 home runs, and his amazing play called simply “The Catch,” Willie Mays was already a star. “By the time he retired,” Hirsch wrote, “he was an American icon whose athletic brilliance and stylistic bravado contributed to the assimilation of blacks during the turbulent civil rights era, a distinctive figure of ambition, sacrifice, and triumph who became a lasting cultural touchstone for a nation in search of heroes. Mays represented the quintessential American dream.”1

Many aspects of Mays, the baseball and American legend, can be and have been explored over his long lifetime. The “Say Hey Kid” can also be examined for his impact on popular culture. Mays was not one to seek the limelight. Hirsch explains: “Mays was an unlikely celebrity, but he flourished in an increasingly intense media culture. He appeared on television variety shows, talk shows, sitcoms, and in documentaries – timid, to be sure, but also handsome, respectful, and self-deprecating. Magazines splashed him on their covers while recording artists celebrated him in song, screenwriters immortalized him in films, and cartoonists grandly etched him in print.”2

How many celebrities have been interviewed by both Ed Sullivan and Jon Stewart? Probably very few, but Willie Mays is one such person, an example of his longtime stardom. When Sullivan first interviewed Mays, the TV show was called Toast of the Town and not yet the legendary Ed Sullivan Show.3 Television was in its black-and-white rabbit-eared infancy. When he was interviewed by Stewart over 50 years later, it was on a cable channel devoted solely to comedy and could be streamed and watched anytime on a device you held in your hand. While Mays’ achievements on the field are a source of amazement, so are the people he met off the field. He has been celebrated in song and his mere presence on screen lit up the room.

Here are some of the songs celebrating Mays and some of his notable television appearances.

Songs

“Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)” by the Treniers (1954)

Willie Mays had returned from military service in Korea, and New York public-relations agent Ted Worner thought a new song honoring the “Giant kid” would be a huge success. Worner had promoted the postseason barnstorming tours of the Jackie Robinson All-Stars, and pitched the idea to two important people: syndicated columnist Dick Kleiner and musical performer Jane Douglass. Kleiner wrote “The Marquee” column, which covered the Broadway theater world. His career, stretching through the 1980s, would take him to Hollywood, where he interviewed an estimated 8,000 movie and television stars. Douglass was a Women’s Army Corps captain and musician during World War II.4

Kleiner wrote the lyrics over one weekend, and the following weekend Douglass set the words to music. Worner and his friend, music publisher Jack Spina, spent months trying to interest record companies in the song. Marv Holtzman of Epic Records, an affiliate of Columbia Records, took notice. He said Epic would sign a deal for the song if they could get Mays on the recording. The song was performed by The Treniers with speaking parts by Mays.5

The Treniers – twin brothers Claude and Cliff – were a Las Vegas lounge act who began performing at Alabama State College in the late 1930s and took their show on the road. They became one of the first Black musical groups to perform on the Las Vegas Strip. The Trenier Twins made their first recordings for Mercury Records in 1947, joined by Don Hill on the saxophone and Gene Gilbeaux on the piano. They frequently performed with legends Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., and Louis Armstrong at casinos where they could not stay the night because of segregation. Their brothers, Milt and Buddy Trenier, joined the group by 1951. The Treniers appeared in several rock ’n’ roll movies, including Don’t Knock the Rock and The Girl Can’t Help It.6

The song was recorded on a 45 RPM record with “Out of the Bushes” on the opposite side. Quincy Jones conducted the orchestra. This tribute to Mays has stood the test of time, often serving as the soundtrack for his highlight reels.

Lyrics:

Fan 1: Go get it Willie, say hey Willie, go get it.
Fan 2: Whatta’ ya mean go get it? Man, that ball is way in left field.
Fan 1: I don’t care what field it’s in, Willie plays all fields.
Fan 2: Every time we come to the game you talkin’ about Willie plays in all the fields.
Fan 1: That’s right he plays …
Fan 2: Let’s call Willie and ask him. Call em.’
Fan 1: OK. Hey Willie!
Mays: Yes.
Fan 1: Are you Willie Mays?
Mays: Yes.
Fan 1: Whose ball was that?
Mays: Where was it?
Fan 1: In left field.
Mays: Well, that’s Irvin’s ball.
Fan 1: I told you that, every time we come to the game. We gotta talk about. The next time I’m goin’ to sit in the grandstands
Mays: Say Hey Fellas, what’s your name?

Chorus:

(Say who?)
Say Willie. Say hey!
(Say who?)
Swinging at the plate. Say hey!
(Say who?)
Say Willie. That Giants kid is great.

When he hits the ball it’s long gone, man,
Hits it farther than Campy can.
Swings the bat like a little lead pipe,
When they reach the ball it’s overripe.

Chorus repeats

He runs the bases like a choo-choo train,
Swings around second like an aeroplane.
His cap flies off when he passes third,
And he heads home like an eagle bird.

Chorus repeats

Yes, he covers center like he had jet shoes,
The other batters get the Willie blues.
Anything hit his way is out,
Man, it just don’t pay those guys to clout!

Chorus repeats

When Willie served his Uncle Sam,
He left the Giants in an awful jam.
But now he’s back and he’s Leo’s joy,
And Willie’s still a growing boy!

Chorus repeats

That Giants kid is great.
Say Willie, Whatcha’ ya gonna say?
Mays: Say Hey!

The New York Giants granted exclusive rights to Epic Records to create this Mays song.7 Other record companies also profited on Mays’ popularity.

“Amazin’ Willie Mays” by the King Odom Quartet (1954)

The King Odom Quartet was composed of David “King” Odom, David “Boots” Bowers, Isaiah Bing, and Cleveland Bing. The group received a contract from Musicraft in 1949 and joined the NBC radio show Swingtime. The group dissolved in 1952. David Odom assembled some (apparently unknown) singers for this Mays song for Perspective Records before calling it quits.8 The song was produced on a 78 RPM record with “Basin Street Blues” on the opposite side of the disk.9

Lyrics:

Take me out to the ballgame, cause I want to see amazin’ Willie Mays!

Verse 1

Who got a solid hit,
Just when we needed it?
Amazin’ Willie Mays.
Who raced to catch the ball,
Way out against the wall?
Amazin’ Willie Mays.
Who has a step and style,
Who has a winning smile?
Who hits the ball a mile?
Who makes the plays?
Who threw the runner out?
Who made the people shout?
Amazin’ Willie Mays.

Chorus

Say hey, say hey, say hey kid,
Let’s see you make another catch the way you did.
Say hey, say hey, say hey, boy,
You’re making all the Giant rooters jump for joy.

Verse 2

Who has a super arm?
Who has a special charm?
Amazin’ Willie Mays.
Who scored the winning run?
And did it just for fun?
Amazin’ Willie Mays.
Who has that extra spark?
Who makes the game a lark?
Who brings me to the park?
Who makes the plays?
Who hit a hefty clout?
Who made the people shout?
Amazin’ Willie Mays.

Chorus repeats

Verse 1 repeats

What a player!
Amazin’ Willie Mays.
Say hey.
Amazin’ Willie Mays.

“Say Hey Willie Mays” by the Singing Wanderers (1954)

Jay Warner, in his book American Singing Groups: A History From 1940s to Today, described the Wanderers as a “pop-jazz group” who “were probably too pop for the rock and roll era and too jazzy for success as rhythm and blue artists.”10 The band consisted of Ray Pollard, Frank Joyner, Robert Yarborough, and Shephard Grant. In 1953 the group recorded “We could Find Happiness” for Savoy Records. The following year, they were rebranded the “Singing Wanderers” and recorded two discs for Decca Records, with “Say Hey” being one of those. The Wanderers appeared in the 1955 Fritz Pollard film, Rockin’ the Blues.11

Lyrics:

There’s a new thriller diller on Coogan’s Bluff,
A horsehide killer that’s rough and tough.
Fans by the millions are singin’ His praise,
Say hey! Willie Mays!

Got an arm like DiMaggio, runs like Cobb,
Could this be Speaker back on the job?
Makes lippy dippy with His magical plays,
Say hey, Willie Mays!

In New York town, believe it or not, when the pennant flag is raisin’,
The Duke will crown him Prince of Swat, if Willie keeps on amazin’;
I’m not a prophet or a prophet’s son,
But he’ll be the daddy when the Duke is done.
So put all your money on the Birmingham blaze,
Say hey, Willie Mays!

He runs like a rabbit, sly as a fox,
Got home run habits in the batter’s box.
He belts that ball and say,
“Hey, it’s over that fence and far away!”

Got eyes like an eagle, watchin’ the skies,
It just ain’t legal how he snags a fly.
The minute they hit it he’s comin’ on,
To grab that ball when it’s almost gone.

Say hey, hey, Willie Mays, say hey. (repeats)
He belts that ball so far away. (repeats)

Hey Willie, there’s a story told that we believe is true,
The Lord made you and lost the mold so there’s only one of you.
For a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame,
Scribes are writing down Willie’s name.
For he is a credit to our national game,
Glory to his name!

Say Hey! Say Hey! Say Hey! Willie, Willie Mays!
Say Hey, Willie, Willie Mays! (repeats)

“Say Hey (A Tribute to Willie Mays)” by the Nite Riders (1954)

The Nite Riders were an ensemble in the 1940s-1950s led by James “Doc” Starkes and included Harry Crafton, Melvin Smith, Jimmy Johnson, and Joe Sewell. Early in their tenure, Smith was the sole vocalist behind the instrumentation of the group. The group did more harmonizing in the 1950s.12

The song was produced on a 45 RPM disc by Apollo Records, with “Women and Cadillacs” on the opposite side.

The opening lyrics:

There is a kid from Alabama,
You gotta dig his southern manner.
He is a wizard on the field,
But dig his main spiel:

Say Hey (repeated).

His name is Willie Mays.
How he feels everyone, when he hits a home run,
Man at third tries to steal, threw him out from centerfield,
There goes a long fly ball headin’ over to the wall,
Don’t worry ’bout that ball, he got it that’s all.

Say Hey! (repeats)
His name is Willie Mays.

“Say Hey, Willie Mays” by Johnny Long and his Orchestra (1954).

Johnny A. Long was a major orchestra leader and violinist in the 1930s and ’40s. He was best known for his dance music, but his band also played nearly every type of music. After his passing in 1972, the Charlotte News wrote, “From the time of his graduation from Duke University in 1935 to 1958 he and his band were starred at every major college and university in the country, playing proms in all 48 states.”13 Probably the high point of Long’s career was performing at President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s birthday ball in 1941.14

Long’s piece on Willie Mays was adapted from the Wanderers’ version and written by Willard Robinson. It was recorded for Coral Records on a 78 RPM record with “Pussy-Footin’ (Back to Me)” on the opposite side. Lem Johnson accompanied Long on this recording. The Montgomery Advertiser noted that Long’s version of “Say Hey, Willie Mays” gained “a measure of popularity in the waning days of [the] baseball season.”15

“Say Hey” by Ray Anthony and his Orchestra (1954)

Ray Anthony received a trumpet from his father for his fifth birthday in 1927. In 2022 that trumpet still sat by his bedside as Anthony celebrated his 100th birthday and a life “hooked on the horn,” in the words of Los Angeles Times columnist Sean J. O’Connell.16 It had been 65 years since Anthony was immortalized among the first 1,500 on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The teenage Anthony joined the famed Glenn Miller Orchestra and was called upon to entertain the troops as a Navy officer in World War II. He formed his own orchestra after the war and by the 1950s he and his 18-member band had produced many dance singles, including a rendition of “The Hokey Pokey” that seemed to get the whole country swaying. Anthony may be best remembered for a 1952 release party of their new single, “Marilyn,” written for rising star Marilyn Monroe. Her arrival at Anthony’s house party overshadowed the presence of other legendary celebrities, such as Mickey Rooney and Sammy Davis Jr. Anthony made television appearances in eight straight decades.

“Say Hey” was recorded for Capitol Records on a 78 RPM record, with instrumental music of the South African song “Skokiaan” on the flip side. “Say Hey” is mainly instrumental music with the words “Say Hey” intermixed several times. “Willie Mays has made ‘Say Hey’ a trademark for the New York Giants,” William Laffler wrote in his “Platter Chatter” column in the Pasadena Independent, “and Ray Anthony’s is the latest orchestra (Capitol) to pay its respects to Willie. You’re familiar with the tune by now through the courtesy of your disc-jockey, but Anthony has made it a danceable number.”17

 

 

Notable Television Appearances

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) lists 99 appearances by Mays on screen, but this is likely incomplete, given the lack of information available.18 His appearance on the June 27, 1954, episode of CBS’s Toast of the Town (The Ed Sullivan Show) is not listed on IMDB, for instance. “Frank, and flashing that broad smile, supported by a perfect set of white ivories,” wrote the Detroit Tribune of Mays’ appearance. “He is a natural.”19

The 1954 season was a busy one. On July 11 Mays appeared on an episode of the quiz show What’s My Line? hosted by John Daly. The popular quiz show ran on CBS from 1950 to 1967 (and until 1975 in syndication) and involved the hilarious interactions between celebrity panelists attempting to guess the occupation of the contestant by asking “yes” or “no” questions. The program included a segment with a famous mystery guest appearing while the panelists were blindfolded. The celebrity panelists included Bennett Cerf, co-founder of Random House publishing; actress Arlene Francis; journalist and columnist Dorothy Kilgallen; and future host of the Today Show Jack Paar.

Mays used a high-pitched voice to disguise himself. Francis quickly caught on, asking if Mays was part of the sports world, involved in baseball, part of the National League, a member of “my ball team, part of the Giants team,” and finally if he had hit his 31st home run that day. “Do you play center field? Are you ‘Say Hey’ Willie Mays?” she asked to the applause of the audience. Mays explained that “Say Hey” originated as his greeting when he first came to the Giants because he didn’t know anyone’s name. Mays departed by shaking hands with the panelists, and a beaming Francis said, “Boy, you’re just the greatest!”20

On August 22, Mays performed a version of “Say Hey” (Treniers version) on an episode of NBC’s Colgate Comedy Hour, hosted by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.21

After the Giants’ regular-season finale on September 26, Mays appeared on both Toast of the Town and the Colgate Comedy Hour. The fact that both programs aired live at the same time on Sunday night did not hinder the “Say Hey Kid.” When Mays and an agent arrived at the Ed Sullivan studio at 7:25 P.M., they realized his Giants uniform had been sent to the Colgate studio. They took a cab from 57th Street and 8th Avenue to 53rd and Broadway to retrieve his uniform and race back to Sullivan. Mays was on stage with Sullivan from 8:10 to 8:20, nabbed a cab and made it to NBC by 8:35.22

The next morning, Mays appeared on the Today Show with its first host, Dave Garroway. That night, Mays appeared on the inaugural episode of the new NBC show The Tonight Show, hosted by Steve Allen.23

Mays appeared on The Merv Griffin Show nine times, according to IMDB.24 One episode aired on February 1, 1966, when Mays joined actress Tallulah Bankhead and actor/singer David Burns. Griffin asked Mays if he was the only player to use the basket catch method on fly balls. “I have to do something to make a living,” Mays joked. Mays and Griffin took turns batting balls into the audience. When asked who would win the pennant that year, Mays answered “We’re going to play 162 games and at the end we’ll probably know.”25

Also in 1966, Mays had a cameo appearance on ABC’s fantasy comedy sitcom Bewitched, starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York. Montgomery portrayed a witch who married a mortal (York) and sought to live as a normal housewife. In Season Three’s Halloween episode entitled “Twitch or Treat” (aired October 27, 1966), Mays appears at a Halloween party. “Say hey, Willie!” Montgomery greets him. A befuddled York suddenly realizes Mays must be a warlock. “The way he hits home runs,” Montgomery explains, “what else?” Mays realizes it’s time to get to the ballpark and promptly vanishes.26

In 1971 Mays was again on the Merv Griffin Show. “Baseball is not working,” Mays said in reference to Griffin’s question of the pressure he faces in the game. “Baseball is fun. It’s a fun game. When you stop having fun in baseball, as far as I am concerned, then it’s time to get out.” He was joined by actors James Brolin and Dennis Hopper and actress Diane Baker.27

 

The fashionable outfielder pitched dress socks and other items. (SABR-Rucker Archive)

 

In 1989 Mays appeared on the ABC sitcom Mr. Belvedere, starring Bob Uecker. The comedy centered on the adventures of Belvedere, an English housekeeper (Christopher Hewett), working for George Adams (Uecker) and his American family. The episode “The Field” was the first episode of Season Six and aired on September 16, 1989. Belvedere decides to help George fulfill a lifelong fantasy to play baseball with some of the all-time greats. Mays, Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, and others arrive.28

In 2010 Mays was interviewed by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show on Comedy Central to discuss the new biography written by Hirsch, Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend. Stewart asked Mays if he could have hit 800 home runs had he not missed time for military service or played so many of his home games at Candlestick Park. Mays didn’t believe he could have done so, since he opposed so many great pitchers of his day: Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and Don Drysdale.

“I’m just lucky to have what I have, man” Mays said.29

We are the lucky ones, experiencing the “Say Hey Kid” for over eight decades.

BOB LeMOINE is a high-school librarian and adjunct professor at White Mountains Community College and Emporia State University. He lives in New Hampshire and has contributed to several SABR projects. Bob is the author of the book “When the Babe Went Back to Boston: Babe Ruth, Judge Fuchs, and the Hapless 1935 Boston Braves” (McFarland & Co., 2023).

 

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted:

Lent, Cassidy, Giamatti Research Center, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, New York.

“Disc & Data by Fred Arthur-Gene Robbins,” Casper (Wyoming) Morning Star, July 24, 1954: 10.

Roberts, Jay, “Say Hey in Song” in Jaybird’s Jottings blog. September 15, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2022. https://jay.typepad.com/william_jay/2006/09/say_hey_in_song.html

“Speaking of Records,” Raleigh News and Observer, September 5, 1954: 7.

Selected Recordings

“8 MLB Hall of Famers vs Little Leaguers.” YouTube. Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_urw9771ZY

“Amazin’ Willie Mays,” by the King Odom Quartet (1954). YouTube. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAPwJ8V4geI

“Say Hey,” by the Nite Riders (1954). YouTube. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv0rvNmlK_Y

“Say Hey,” by Ray Anthony and His Orchestra (1954). Internet Archive. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://archive.org/details/78_say-hey_ray-anthony-and-his-orchestra-ray-anthony_gbia0012319a/Say+Hey+-+Ray+Anthony+and+His+Orchestra+-+Ray+Anthony.flac

“Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song) by the Treniers. YouTube recording. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngrhKECHDL0

“Say Hey, Willie Mays,” by Johnny Long and His Orchestra (1954). Internet Archive. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://archive.org/details/78_say-hey-willie-mays_johnny-long-and-his-orchestra-lem-johnson-willard-robinson_gbia0448694a/SAY+HEY%2C+WILLIE+MAYS+-+JOHNNY+LONG+And+His+Orchestra.flac

 

NOTES

1  James S. Hirsch, Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend (New York: Scribner, 2010), 4.

2  Hirsch, 5.

3  The Ed Sullivan Show was a staple variety show on CBS on Sunday nights from 1948 to 1971.

4  “How Willie Got to Say, ‘Say, Hey’ on a Platter,” Fort Lauderdale News, August 8, 1954: 2-C; “Dick Kleiner,” Washington Post, March 1, 2002: B8.

5  “How Willie Got to Say…”

6  Associated Press, “Claude Trenier, 84, a Member of Family’s Las Vegas Ensemble,” New York Times, November 22, 2003: B7.

7  “Willie Mays Goes on Wax,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 24, 1954: 14.

8  Mitch Rosalsky, Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2008), 346; Marv Goldberg, “The King Odom Quartet.” Marv Goldberg’s Yesterday’s Memories Rhythm & Blues Party. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://www.uncamarvy.com/KingOdomQuartet/kingodomquartet.html

9  From the Discogs website. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://www.discogs.com/release/14293423-The-King-Odom-Quartette-Amazin-Willie-Mays-Basin-Street-Blues.

10 Jay Warner, “The Wanderers,” in American Singing Groups: A History From 1940s to Today (Milwaukee: Hal Leondard Corp., 2006), 311.

11 Rosalsky, 519.

12 Rosalsky, 413.

13 “Ex-Band Leader Johnny Long Dies,” Charlotte (North Carolina) News, November 1, 1972: 7.

14 Christopher Popa, “Johnny Long.” Big Band Library, November 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2022. bigbandlibrary.com/johnnylong.html.

15 Doug Donehue, “‘Shanty’ Still Bread, Butter for Long After Many Playings,” Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser, October 26, 1954: 10.

16 Sean J. O’Connell, “Life by the Horns,” Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2022: E1.

17 William Laffler, “Platter Chatter,” Pasadena Independent, August 24, 1954: 12.

18 “Willie Mays,” Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 1, 2022. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0563092/

19 “‘Amazing Mays’ Mobs Pitchers in Senior Loop,” Detroit Tribune, July 3, 1954: 6.

20 “What’s My Line: Willie Mays,” Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 22, 2022. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0746427/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1; Dialogue taken from a YouTube upload of the episode, retrieved November 22, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoQOIf7utlY

21 “The Colgate Summer Comedy Hour,” La Crosse (Wisconsin) Tribune, August 22, 1954: 13.

22 Hirsch, 189.

23 Hirsch, 189.

24 “Willie Mays,” Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 22, 2022. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0563092/?ref_=nm_rvi_nm_t_1.

25 Dialogue taken from a recording of the episode on Tubi TV. “The Merv Griffin Show,” Tubi TV. Retrieved November 22, 2022. https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/501209/s01-e06-episode-6?start=true Note: Tubi TV and IMDB give different dates for this episode.

26 “Bewitched: Twitch or Treat,” Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0523274/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1; Dialogue taken from Mays’ cameo available on YouTube, “New York Baseball Great Willie Mays in ‘Bewitched’ Television Series Halloween Episode | 1966.” Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BopU2frrJk.

27 “The Merv Griffin Show: Willie Mays, Dennis Hopper, Diane Baker,” Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 22, 2022. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0646852/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1; Dialogue taken from a recording of the episode on the Roku Channel. Retrieved November 22, 2022. https://therokuchannel.roku.com/watch/59fd2dbe42d6edc9f0c148d1204f0a4d.

28 “Mr. Belvedere: The Field,” Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0651936/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1.

29 Transcript taken from a recording of the episode on Comedy Central. “Willie Mays,” February 10, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2022. https://www.cc.com/video/ipyqsz/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-willie-mays.